David was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and has lived and worked in Vancouver and Melbourne, Australia. In the late 1990’s, after completing business school, David’s natural problem-solving tendencies and his eye for detail led him to a role promoting and managing tradeshows. In his position as Show Director of Buildex Vancouver, David played a crucial role in fostering significant and sustained commercial growth. Buildex became one of North America’s largest regional construction expositions with exhibit sales and attendance increases of nearly 300% during his tenure. David’s portfolio also includes a ground-up conceptualization, development and launch of Canada’s largest supply chain event, Cargo Logistics Canada, which he founded and conceived “from a blank sheet of paper.” The launch of this event garnered David an Innovation Award from the parent company Informa, the world’s largest publicly-traded event company. While launching and managing the aforementioned event, David simultaneously oversaw one of North America’s largest Interior Design tradeshows, which attracted 30,000 consumers annually and led to a second Marketing Innovation Award. In June of 2015, David launched Cube Business Media Inc. with longtime colleague and friend Mark Stephenson. David lives and works in North Vancouver when he is not riding a motorcycle in Laos or circumnavigating the Australian outback with his wife and young daughters.
Mark Stephenson
President
Mark has worked in the conference and tradeshow business for over 25 years. As a proud contributor to the industry, Mark has overseen more than a dozen successful brands of conferences, trade and consumer events serving the design, construction, property management and real estate industries in both Canada and the United States. Managing a team of up 20 colleagues, some of the brands that Mark produced and managed include Buildex, The Real Estate Forums and Cargo Logistics. Born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Mark was naturally drawn to the spirit of entrepreneurism at a young age. He developed his interest in real estate development and design through a successful publishing career which led to event production. In 2007, Mark and his partners sold their business to a public U.S. company and in 2012 the Canadian portfolio was sold to Informa, the largest publicly-traded event company in the world. He is thrilled to have launched Cube Business Media Inc. in 2015 with his longtime friend and colleague David Tyldesley. Mark’s areas of expertise include strategic planning, content development and sales strategy. As a strategic thinker and lifelong entrepreneur, Mark is passionate about finding innovative solutions to new challenges, and his diverse business background and formal education have contributed to this success on multiple occasions. A family man, Mark enjoys the outdoors and exploring urban settings both locally and internationally with his wife and two children.
Bringing Buyers & Sellers Together
Cube Business Media Inc. is a boutique conference and exposition company, founded to generate connections, build content & create communities. We create physical hubs where likeminded individuals can gather face-to-face, en masse.
Plan to Successfully Sell Your Business
It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, you will transition your business. The process of transitioning is the most monumental decision in your company’s lifecycle. Optimizing the value of your business, understanding the range of choices for how, or who to transition to, and preparing for your succession, are just some of the fundamental elements that should be part of your business planning today, even for early-stage companies.
KNOWSHOW is an engaging B2B marketplace where leading lifestyle fashion brands unveil their seasonal products to Canadian retailers. In its 15th year, KNOWSHOW connects hundreds of unique retailers with preeminent and emerging brands in a concentrated showcase of the latest trends, styles, and products.
In technology, mergers and acquisitions are a regular occurrence and can be a path to growth. Every tech company needs to be “Exit Ready”. Learn from the biggest exit success stories, the multiple exit stories, and connect with the players that made them happen.
Mark has been a leader in the conference and tradeshow business for over 25 years with a proven track record for success. As a proud contributor to the industry, he has overseen 12+ conference brands across Canada and the US serving both trade and consumer audiences. Industry agnostic, Mark has produced events in design, construction, fashion, technology, business, and real estate. Managing teams of up to 20, Mark has a keen eye for cultivating talent and helping his team grow professionally.
Born and raised in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Mark was naturally drawn to the spirit of entrepreneurism at a young age. He developed his interest in real estate development and design through a successful publishing career which led to a flourishing event production career.
In 2007, Mark and his partners sold their business to a public U.S. company and in 2012 the Canadian portfolio was sold to Informa, the largest publicly-traded event company in the world. With major conference brands like Buildex, IDSwest, The Real Estate Forums and Cargo Logistics, to name a few, Mark was well established to take the next step in his distinguished career.
In August of 2015, Mark launched Cube Business Media Inc. with long-time friend and colleague David Tyldesley. Together they co-founded The Business Transitions Forum, Canada’s first large-scale exit-strategy event for business owners, and launched the first BTF conference in November 2015. Early in 2016, David and Mark acquired KNOWSHOW Enterprises Inc., Canada’s Premier Fashion and Lifestyle Tradeshows and later in 2016, David and Mark Co-Founded SAAS NORTH, Canada’s largest SaaS Conference.
Mark is a true strategist, understanding the nuances of consumer behavior, he guides his team to produce exceptional content and sales excellence. A creative thinker and lifelong entrepreneur, Mark is passionate about finding innovative solutions to new challenges.
A family man, Mark is a proud hockey dad, both ice hockey and field hockey. In his downtime, Mark can be found travelling with his wife, and two children whether it’s exploring Europe or enjoying the beaches of Hawaii.
David was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and has lived and worked in Vancouver and Melbourne, Australia. In the late 1990’s, after completing business school, David’s natural problem-solving tendencies and his eye for detail led him to a role managing expositions and conferences.
In his position as Show Director of Buildex Vancouver, David played a crucial role in fostering significant and sustained commercial growth. Buildex became one of North America’s largest regional construction expositions with exhibit sales and attendance increases of nearly 300% during his tenure.
David’s portfolio also includes a ground-up conceptualization, development and launch of Canada’s largest supply chain event, Cargo Logistics Canada, which he founded and conceived “from a blank sheet of paper.” The launch of this event garnered David an Innovation Award from the parent company Informa, the world’s largest publicly-traded event company.
While launching and managing the aforementioned event, David simultaneously oversaw one of North America’s largest Interior Design tradeshows, which attracted 30,000 consumers annually and led to a second Marketing Innovation Award.
In August of 2015, David launched Cube Business Media Inc. with long-time friend and colleague Mark Stephenson. Together they co-founded The Business Transitions Forum (BTF), Canada’s first large-scale exit-strategy event for business owners in North America, now in five cities. Early in 2016, David and Mark acquired KNOWSHOW Enterprises Inc., Canada’s Premier Fashion and Lifestyle Tradeshows and later in 2016, David Co-Founded SAAS NORTH, Canada’s largest conference for cloud-based software entrepreneurs.
In 2017, David founded TechExit.io, which is an “M&A Primer” conference for technology entrepreneurs. The creation of this brand created a new connection between the Business Transitions Forum audience and the SAAS NORTH audience, thus fulfilling Cube’s mandate of facilitating “Connections, Content and Communities.”
David lives and works in North Vancouver when he is not riding a motorcycle in Laos, Iceland or the Alps or circumnavigating the Australian outback with his wife and young daughters.
From an early age, Michelle always had a strong interest in marketing and event planning. It was the perfect fit for her strong organizational skills and passion for creating experiences for others. However, in the early days of Michelle’s career, an observant manager noticed she also had a natural ability with numbers and finance which would eventually change the path of her career.
After completing a BBA in Marketing, Michelle’s newly discovered ease with numbers drove her to complete her CPA designation. During this time, Michelle gained a wealth of tradeshow and conference knowledge as part of the finance team at Informa, the largest publicly-traded event company in the world. With over ten years of financial experience under her belt and a love for event production, Michelle joined Cube Business Media in 2016 in an operational role – the perfect combination of both worlds. She oversees Cube’s day-to-day finance and administrative functions, and manages venue and on-site operations for KNOWSHOW and SAAS NORTH.
Having lived in Vancouver for over 30 years, she wouldn’t consider any other place her home. Michelle loves exploring the world and learning about other cultures. She doesn’t believe any event without a theme is worth having and has big dreams of winning The Amazing Race with her husband one day.
Erin has over 20 years of professional event management experience, and a passion for conferences and tradeshows. Her creativity, attention to detail and love of fast-paced project management lead her to a successful career as an event planner. Amongst other accolades, she was recognized on the BizBash Canada 250 list of nationally recognized top event professionals in 2020 and finalist for best conference in Canada in 2019. In addition to a BA in communications and marketing, Erin has her Project Management Professional (PMP) designation and is a Certified Event Designer (CED).
Utilization of design thinking principles, effective communication skills and building strong relationships are the foundation of Erin’s work philosophy. She strives to build engaging events with tangible ROI for stakeholders and unique experiences that ‘surprise and delight’ attendees.
Erin lives, works and plays in North Vancouver. In her free time, she loves forest hikes with her dog Stanley, practicing yoga or planning her next travel adventure. Future goals include learning to sail, salsa dance and improving her ukulele skills.
Tom was born in the United Kingdom and immigrated to sunny Nelson, New Zealand at age 10.
Growing up surfing and snowboarding, Tom started a unisex lifestyle clothing brand influenced by his upbringing and directed it at the young outdoors market. The ranges consisted of garments which could be worn on and off the mountain. 18 months in, Tom decided to pack up shop and travel around Europe for a year with some friends.
Tom returned back to New Zealand in 2012 and started another clothing brand called Far Nearer, this time designing basic garments for young men. The ranges were very successful with an entire release once selling out in 24 hours.
After a few years in the clothing biz, Tom shifted his focus and co-founded a retail consulting and sales training business called Enablr. Along with his team, Tom sold and implemented retail sales training solutions to multiple retailers in New Zealand including Timberland (which resulted in a 41% increase in sales across their NZ stores). In 2016, Enablr was sold and Tom started work as a Regional Manager with Stretchsense, the global leader in sensors for the emerging Wearables industry. Based in New York, Tom travelled extensively through North America and Europe meeting with clients and working on projects.
After months of constant travel, Tom decided to relocate permanently to Vancouver and join the Cube Business Media Team. Outside of work you can find Tom snowboarding, surfing, reading, and making things.
Perry set out on his path early in life at the age of 15, when he opened a Skateboard shop in his hometown of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Learning the foundations of Retail on the fly as the business rapidly grew during the busy economic climate of the late 90’s and early 00’s, Perry especially relished in the aspects of trend forecasting buying, and the interpersonal relationships that grew through the business.
In 2004 the opportunity presented itself to take on a new challenge working on the wholesale side of the Lifestyle Fashion business and Perry joined OB1 Enterprises to work as a Sales Rep managing a handful of dynamic brands throughout Western Canada. Within the first 3 years of launching the brand Holden Outerwear in Canada, Perry grew his sales into the brand’s second largest territory.
Utilizing his experience as a Retailer & Sales Rep, Perry co-founded the KNOWSHOW, Canada’s Premier Lifestyle Trade Show, in 2005. As the event’s Head of Sales since the inception of the show, he has been integral in growing the event from its humble beginnings to its place as Canada’s premier fashion buying event.
Perry joined the Cube Business Media team in 2016 with the acquisition of the KNOWSHOW. He lives in Abbotsford, BC and in his off time you can find him on the side of a mountain snowboarding, suited up with his men’s League hockey team, or in his kitchen subjecting his young family to his ongoing pursuits in culinary learning.
Prior to joining the Cube team, Jani worked for several not-for-profit organizations focusing on fundraising and community-based events. Her latest adventure brought her to Malaysia to work as a Community Development Officer, teaching English and planning outreach events for the local community. Her passion for creating impactful experiences was what led her to join the Cube team as an Event Coordinator.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Digital Publishing from Simon Fraser University, Jani is interested in all things digital which made her the perfect fit for the SAAS NORTH team. She manages the websites, social media channels and is always keen to take on more. Her jack-of-all-trades abilities quickly led to her involvement in KNOWSHOW, and at any given time, you’ll find Jani juggling different roles for the two events. She is a self-proclaimed email guru and professional list maker.
In her spare time, you’ll find Jani throwing dinner parties, travelling to new countries and exploring the outdoors with her two Labradors, Timmy and Toby.
Shauna graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a minor in Business. After graduating, Shauna began her career as a Marketing Assistant with a homecare software company. Since then, she has held various marketing and communications positions with tech companies where she produced a range of events including conferences, webinars, workshops, community events, and parties.
A desire to focus her energy on her passion, event planning, is what led Shauna to join the Cube Business Media team in May 2016. As the Communications Manager, Shauna is responsible for speaker, sponsor, and partner communications as well as operations and logistics support for all Cube events: SAAS NORTH, Business Transitions Forum, KNOWSHOW, and TechExit.io.
Shauna loves to travel! Most recently she volunteered with children in Cambodia, and travelled to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and Curaҫao.
When she’s not working hard putting together our next event, Shauna can be found doing yoga, exploring the outdoors, or planning her next trip around the world!
Ryan was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Shortly after graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Design, Ryan kicked off his career by starting his own graphic design business. Pairing up with a local print shop, the next couple of years were spent providing dozens of businesses with branding and artwork for every kind print media. In 2004 he took over designing the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s quarterly publication, The ATA Magazine, with the largest circulation of any journal in the province.
At the end of 2005, Ryan packed up and headed west—relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia. Continuing to service his existing clientele back in Alberta, Ryan also began working as an in-house graphic/web designer for a local software company. During the half a dozen years there, Ryan expanded his skillset to include web development and social media education, helping to grow the company’s brand as they expanded into different verticals and launched a handful of new software products.
The last few years Ryan has refocused his efforts to solely growing his own business, now servicing a variety of clients in B.C. and Alberta with their graphic/web design/development needs. In the summer of 2016, Ryan joined Cube Business Media Inc. as their graphic/web designer. When not in front of a computer screen Ryan can be found trying to be as active as possible, either indoors at the gym or outside walking the seawall (on the dry days in Vancouver).
“Cube gives back!”
Giving Back
Cube Business Media Inc. is proud to support organizations and initiatives that provide direct support to the community. Since 2015, we are pleased to have supported the following organizations:
The ALS Society of Canada works with the ALS community to improve the lives of people affected by ALS through support, advocacy and investment in research for a future without ALS. A key supporter of SAAS NORTH and our tech community was recently diagnosed with ALS, so selecting this organization to support was not a question for us – the contributions Cube makes to ALS Canada are in his honour.
The Lions Gate Hospital Foundation ensures its patients get better access to ground breaking facilities, the latest equipment, and updated infrastructure. While Cube produces events across Canada, we are a company based on the North Shore in Vancouver, and it’s important to us to remember our roots and support our local community. Keeping in good health affects everyone, and we want to ensure the best care possible is available for those in need.
You will join the on-site operations team that executes Cube Business Media’s tradeshows and conferences in a role that provides hands-on event management experience.
You will join the on-site operations team that executes Cube Business Media’s tradeshows and conferences in a role that provides hands-on event management experience. You will work closely with key managers on our operational team and have the opportunity to meet and network with industry experts.
This is an on-call, volunteer position and we are looking for people with a can-do attitude and friendly face, willing to jump in and lend an extra hand during peak times.
What you will do:
Registration & Greeting – Be the first point of contact for an attendee when they arrive! Assist with checking attendees in, printing and/or scanning their badges, and handing out SWAG.
General Setup – See the event come to life! Assist with set up of furniture, handouts, signage, registration, gift bags, and so on.
Seminar Coordination – Manage speakers and traffic flow in seminar rooms, and assist with basic A/V needs.
Special Features – Be a part of a special feature at our larger events – this could include a greeter of a VIP lounge, special reception/party, or management of a mentorship lounge.
Customer Service – Be a wealth of knowledge for event attendees. Learn about the FAQs and assist with questions as required.
We do our best to match our volunteers’ interests and strengths with the roles available, and introduce a variety of tasks.
What you bring
A great attitude and friendly customer service
A desire to learn about tradeshows/conferences and overall event management
An interest in any of the following industries which our events cover: Retail – Fashion, Skate/Snowboard, Streetwear, Athleisure; Tech – SaaS, Startups; Entrepreneurship – M&A
Experience with community/cultural events, conferences or trade shows, either as staff or volunteering also an asset
Who you are:
An exceptional team player with enthusiasm, a positive, “can-do” attitude, and the confidence to communicate your ideas
Powered to join a small, but mighty team
Keen interest in the tech sector, startups and/or the retail sector
A great sense of humour and you aren’t afraid to talk to anyone in any situation
Value diversity while being inclusive and thoughtful in your approach to customers and stakeholders
About us:
Cube Business Media Inc., is a boutique conference and exposition company, founded to generate connections, build content and create communities. We create physical hubs where likeminded individuals can gather face-to-face, en masse. Cube owns and operates 10 event programs across Canada, including SAAS NORTH, TechExit, the Business Transitions Forum, KNOWSHOW/KNOWHOW and is self-funded. Our objective is to bring buyers and sellers together, strengthen business ecosystems and create marketplaces where entrepreneurs thrive.
Please submit a cover letter with your application.